Because of the old rules, many small contractors had simply closed on weekends, requiring homeowners to schedule home projects on weekdays, when most were away at their jobs.

Counties could also decide to require individual homeowners to post signs on the days they used pesticides.

It's true the bill doesn't require individual homeowners to report their pesticide use.

Eagle County's new energy-efficient building code, ECOBuild is another points-based code checklist, requiring homeowners to build within a certain energy budget.

State Farm, which insures 25 percent of the homes in Colorado, began a program this year to require homeowners in high-risk areas to cut down trees and remove brush.

Currently earthquake coverage costs an average of about $2 for $1,000 of insurance, with a deductible requiring homeowners to assume losses of 10 percent of the insured value.

Mr. Sandoval's proposal would go further in requiring homeowners to maintain their landscaping continually, possibly under threat of fines.

Mr. Mejias said he would investigate the feasibility of requiring homeowners to show on a survey where their cesspools are when a home changes hands.

The solution, he said, is to require or encourage businesses and homeowners to use bear-proof trash containers.

The current system, the G.A.O. said, provides little incentive "to mitigate fire risks, such as requiring homeowners to use fire-resistant materials and landscaping."